There is not one simple answer and having both parents is not necessarily the cure all. Parents lead by example. Having both parents as examples is ideal. In today's society if both parents work sometimes the kids pay a price. If both parents don't work the kids definitely pay a price and some grow up knowing how to work the system. But one basic answer is discipline from whatever source it can come from. The work ethic is key also and that has to be passed on from generation to generation. The family unit depends on the leadership abilities of the parents. Sometimes kids are better off growing up in a single parent family unit if the missing parent does not have the ability to parent much less to lead and to teach. We put too much pressure on teachers to basically do much more than teach. If a parent is an inspiration to the kids it seems to be a positive thing. If a parent is a bad example then it seems to be a negative thing.
So like I said there is not one simple answer. But this society has changed since the end of WWII and parenting is right at the top of the list. Stressing education is a basic key also because if a kid gets a good enough education as he/she gets older they can put all their experiences in perspective and grow accordingly. I think stressing the importance of the individual is key also. Teaching kids responsibility, letting them play competitive sports, and allowing them enough freedom to think things out for themselves are part of the equation also.
I agree, I get the impression though that many blame Obama, maybe I am misguided. I know people blame liberals, is this a liberal agenda? Are liberals too easy on their children? Is it liberals who have broken up the family unit? Or is it women? I have a sense that women these days are a different breed, much more independent and much less tolerant of a male agenda. This is going to be shovenistic but to me the women's movement has coincided with the deterioration of the family unit. Just my .02
It started going downhill when both parents had to work in order to get by. That started in the 50's/60's. The functionality of the family suffered proportionately. I don't blame women any more than I blame men. Women were suppressed and in fact most still get paid less than men. They fought for their rights just like the minorities did. Subjecting kids to child care in their infancy has had it's consequences. I go one step further than most. I think education has deteriorated during that same period of time. I blame teacher's unions. That is where the liberal involvement was fostered. Our educational ratings have dropped on the world wide scale ever since teacher's unions began to dominate curriculum and the quality of education. Not all teachers are bad but in general our educational system would be better off without the unions. Bad teachers would be weeded out (survival of the fittest) and the quality of education would improve accordingly. Many women teach, they wind up raising their own kids and taking partial responsibility for those in their care. My sister in law is a teacher and she is an excellent mother and teacher. But she stressed the importance of education to her students and to her own kids. One kid went to Harvard and the other is a Mechanical Engineer. But she set her own personal standards and joined the union only because she had to. There are many teachers out there caught in that trap.
In today's age of computers young people have access to information that is mind blowing. Parents have their hands full but it is there responsibility to step up to the plate and be a part of the kids lives. Anything that distracts from that is part of the blame for the deterioration of the family unit. Religion has fallen out of fashion also. That plays a role also. Today entertainers are held on a higher level than doctors and engineers. There are young people who cannot imagine life without a cell phone. They can google any and everything. So many distractions for both the parents and the children.
Makes a lot of sense but without unions, I would think teachers would be rare, I believe education was flawed when I went to school. Hell I remember the hockey coach here teached geography. He would have what he called a local current events pop quiz of 10 questions which was dominated by sports questions. Like "who is the coach of the UMD Bulldogs hockey team?" Great for me but extremely unfair to most of the gals, nerds, and wrenchers. I can name several teachers who were worthless but were given jobs because they were coaches. I think elementary education seems to be fairly good at least here but after that it is fairly shaky, not enough preparation for college. Now back to teacher unions, were they needed at one time like most unions? I don't if it is just as easy to blame unions. I do agree more has to be done to improve curriculum.
On other accounts I agree, technology is great but it maybe doing more harm than good.
So we agree there are many factors involved in the deterioration of the family unit. And we agree that the family unit is the key to assembling the tools necessary to develop into adulthood. We agree that education is vital to help put everything into a better perspective and to promote better judgment making as children grow up. With all the tools out there like computers, google, wiki, cell phones they can be a positive influence or if abused be a negative influence in the development of young adults and their decision making. I still say discipline is the one factor that can help guide young people. They have to learn that there are consequences for their actions both intended and unintended. I wish every young adult had to do at least 6 months of basic military training or some type of time doing civic projects. It would increase their sense of involvement not to mention accomplishment. And we have left out one of the biggest factors and that is politics. It isolates more than it unites us. Most kids are not involved in politics though but their lives are directly and indirectly affected by laws that are passed on every level. To me the key word in the maturing of young people is respect. If they can emerge from it all with a respect for others and a self respect for themselves then their chances of succeeding are greater.
